Vettel surprised by F1 tyres

During the course of the 2006 Formula One season, Sebastian Vettel was forced to become familiar with several novelties. The car, the tracks, the work processes: in many ways, the 19-year-old entered uncharted waters. Most of all, however, he was impressed by the complexity of the tyres.

The tyres have become more and more important in Formula One racing. With the right choice of compound and a well-timed tyre change during the race, a driver can achieve an invaluable advantage on the track. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that this topic played a major role for Sebastian Vettel in his first year of Formula One racing.

"The tyres surprised me the most," confirms Vettel. "How they work, how you avoid unnecessary wear, what you have to pay attention to, which compounds exist. The fact that there are different periods during which they work better, some from laps one to ten, others in different periods."

At the same time, the importance of the tyres presents a significant change to the lower single-seater categories for Sebastian. "In the Formula 3 or Formula BMW, you drive on fairly consistent tyres. They do wear off, but in general they do tend to remain on the same level. In Formula One racing, on the other hand, this is a very complex subject," he comments.

For the forthcoming season, the drivers will have to become familiar with a crucial midification. All teams will compete on Bridgestone tyres from 2007 onwards. Per weekend, however, two different compounds will continue to be at the teams' disposal.